Before there were malls in Acadiana, there was Abdalla’s. Before Kohl’s, before Macy’s, before online was even thought of, there was Abdalla’s in downtown New Iberia. And since December 1988, Abdalla’s has been no more, and New Iberia’s shoppers (and even non-shoppers) miss it.

Boy, do they.

Abdalla’s in New Iberia was incorporated in January 1945, according to OpenCorporates.com. The store served generations of customers, and if replies from a post on Facebook are any indication, Abdalla’s was a huge part of the community. Many posters recalled their work experiences there (so many learned to wrap gifts beautifully under Abdalla’s tutelage), or highlighted the people who worked at Abdalla’s who made their visits so special. They remembered the store’s superior service: “They treated me like a queen!” was a frequent comment. Many recalled beloved salespeople and employees: Mr. Broussard and Jimmy Braquet in the Men’s Department, Fern Waguespack, Merkel Richard, Ricki O’Brien, Carolyn Louviere, Barbara Mazerole in the Gift Boutique, on and on. And of course, there was Mr. Abdalla himself, and Norma Abdalla Huck, who ran the store for her father.

Abdalla’s offered charge accounts to many of their regular customers. Michael Baham remembers riding his bike to the store each month to bring cash payments on his mother’s and his aunt’s charge accounts there. Abdalla’s payment desk was just inside the back door. “I don’t think they charged interest. Similarly, I’d be sent with a note of what to buy, and all I had to say was “charge it” to either my mother or my aunt. No I.D. required,” he recalled. Karen Scarff Alvarez remembers a Christmas after she moved from New Orleans to New Iberia: ”There was a wreath hanging in the gift shop I just loved but couldn’t afford. My parents came in from New Orleans for Christmas. The next day I called the gift shop to see if the wreath had gone on sale. I was told it was half price, so in front of my mother while on the phone, I told them I wanted it. I bought it on the phone, had it charged to my personal account and they delivered it to my door, no charge! My mother was in shock!! Like everybody else, I really miss that store.”

Charge account holders also were allowed to take items on approval. This was one of the most-mentioned perks of Abdalla’s New Iberia store. Donna Standridge Warren recalls, “I picked out a hat I thought would match my future daughter-in-law’s wedding dress. (I had only seen a picture) I took it to Arkansas on approval. It was a perfect match!” The ‘on approval’ feature spoiled a lot of shoppers, and so did the perfect intuition of the salesladies there. Donna Berard says she and her mother would just go into the dressing room, and “Ms. Teresa would select things for us. All we did was try on the clothes. Ms. Teresa would get us dressed to the nines. Never had to leave the dressing room. Stress Free! I hate, hate, hate, hate to shop nowadays. Miss those days!”

Abdalla’s was the special occasion go-to as well, with prom queens and brides finding just the right dress there for generations. Claire Dugas Seneca found her white sequined formal at Abdalla’s. That dress helped her win Miss University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1979.

The seamstresses there were also legendary. Names like Nola Bodin, Lilly Derouen, JoAnn Camacho and Belda Broussard bring recollections of fine work on every kind of garment, from day dresses to wedding dresses and fur coats, along with gentle and thorough attention to customers.

And then there were the Abdalla’s Shoe Sales. At the end of the season, shoes would go on sale for as little as $2, $3 and $4 a pair. Shoppers could range through tables and tables of shoes, all arranged by size. Speaking of shoes, there is at least one fairy tale story related to the shoe department in Abdalla’s. Wendy Parich relates how she met her husband, Mike, at Abdalla’s. “Just like Cinderella, he put a shoe on my foot… he was my Prince Charming!”

When Abdalla’s closed in December 1988, it was a sad day for New Iberian shoppers. Barbara Davis recalls she had a friend who cried when the store closed, and many New Iberians still have treasured items purchased there. Whether it was because of the people, the service, the selection, the atmosphere — even after 30-plus years, New Iberia still misses Abdalla’s.

1. Exceptional customer service
2. Lovely atmosphere
3. Two words: ON APPROVAL
4. Exquisite gift wrapping
5. Shoe Sales, Shoe Sales, SHOE SALES!!